wMay 16, 2009


Pluto

So, I read the first volume of Naoki Urasawa's Pluto manga. It's a retelling of one story arc of Osamu Tezuka's Astro Boy. I can't imagine how fun this would be if I had read the original Astro Boy.....the only reference I caught was the one to the underground doctor, Black Jack (another series by Tezuka).

But even without catching all of the Tezuka references to the source work, this book was great! Viz really did a great job in making the size of the pages bigger, and including flaps on both the front and back covers.

This post doesn't even tell you what the manga is about! I don't need to; just read it (I know, I fail at reccing things. Too bad!).

I adore Urasawa's artwork. The only other series I've enjoyed by him was Monster (and technically, I watched the anime and have only read a few bits of the manga). I love that Urasawa's people look like people: something pretty rare in manga. Some people are ugly, some people aren't, but everyone looks like a solid person, and never impossibly thin.


I've put volume 2 on hold at the library, as well as the first two volumes of 20th Century Boys. I'm not sure I'll be able to wait for everything to be released in the U.S. for me to finish reading them.

Labels: , , , ,

scribbled mystickeeper at 11:52 AM
0 comments



wApr 19, 2009


Translucent, vol. 1-3

Shizuka is a 14-year-old girl who suffers from Translucent Syndrome. This means that at times, her body goes completely transparent. There is no known cause or cure for Translucent Syndrome, which is unfortunate, as it affects Shizuka's life daily.

Shizuka longs to be normal, while many of her classmates are jealous of her condition without fully understanding it. People who are often the center of attention long to be able to fade away. Meanwhile, Shizuka is literally capable of fading away, but longs to become an actress when she grows up. She faces animosity about this choice: her father tries to dissuade her from it because of her unreliable body.

Shizuka is often sweet and polite, so watching her struggle with being shunted aside by society is heartbreaking. "I just want to yell out....Look at me! I'm right here!"

In addition to the classmates her own age, Shizuka befriends Keiko, an adult woman who also has Translucent Syndrome. I really liked Shizuka's ability to go and talk to Keiko about what it was like to be Translucent, when nobody else could fully understand what she was going to.

There are some scenes that are simple, and heartbreaking. Such as when Keiko puts on a wedding dress and asks, "Well? How do I look?"

Of course, there are a few things to dislike in this series. Shizuka's school nurse is a total creeper. At one point, she coerces Shizuka's love interest, Tadami, to walk in on Shizuka while she is undressed, and locks them in the room together.

Shizkua is also coerced by her female friend to sneak into Tadami's house to steal back her misplaced journal. Of course, to do this translucently, Shizuka sneaks in while naked.

These elements are pretty annoying in a series otherwise focused on telling an interesting story. They can probably be explained by the series' demographic, which is seinen. Unlike shoujo/shounen, which are aimed at the pre-teen and teenage populations, seinen is aimed at adult men. [Its female counterpart is josei, which accounts for titles like Honey & Clover and NANA].

If you're interested in the series but looking to avoid the annoying "Let's make awkward situations!" bits, I recommend the first volume. I thought it was the strongest with presenting a girl coping with a chronic disease, and minimal on the distracting bits.

Overall, the series does a good job with exploring the ways people cope with and react to disabilities. One chapter focuses on one of Shizuka's best friend feeling guilty after thinking, "I'm glad I'm not Shizuka."
While watching her favorite actress on TV, Shizuka becomes agonized, and thinks out loud, "Why me? Why am I translucent? Is this always going to depress me?"


There are 5 total volumes in this series, and I'd like to read the final 2 some day, just to see what happens to Shizuka. They have not yet been released by Dark Horse in the U.S., due to issues with finding new translators.

Labels: , , , , ,

scribbled mystickeeper at 9:59 AM
0 comments



wSep 20, 2008


Recently Read Manga Report....with pictures!



Apollo's Song by Osamu Tezuka

Tezuka is considered the god of anime/manga, but I had never read anything by him before. His works date back to the 1940s and have influenced every manga genre.

Apollo's Song is really weird, but really good. The protagonist is a boy named Shogo, who has grown up hating love. Society fears him as being a psychopath, because he's killed animals after finding them mating. He is an inmate at institution attempting to rehabilitate him. Through hypnotism and electro-shock therapy, Shogo experiences elaborate dreams in which he falls in love with a woman, only to meet a tragic end every time. A Greek goddess (I can't remember which one it was, :/) tells him that this is his punishment for acting out so much violence against lovers in his life. Eventually, reality and the dream-world blur together. This was pretty awesome, and I'm looking forward to reading more by Tezuka.




Tekkonkinkreet by Taiyō Matsumoto

This manga was originally published in the early 1990s, but has recently gained a lot of attention because of the movie adaptation that was made in 2006.

Black and White are two orphan boys living in a city called Treasure Town. The yakuza (Japanese equivalent of the mob) is trying to take over the city, but these two snot-nosed kids simply won't have it. Black is the intelligent and more violent boy, while White seems to be somewhat impaired mentally, and is constantly singing nonsense songs. They live together in an abandoned car.

This manga, and its anime adaptation, have garnered a lot of positive press, but overall, I wasn't too impressed. I'd still be interested in watching the movie, though. It seems to have had a pretty high budget, and the action scenes would probably be fun.




Sand Chronicles by Hinako Ashihara

I absolutely adored volume one of this series, and I highly recommend it for its art style, its pacing, and its emotional impact.

Spoilers for volume 3.

I love Ann, and I love Daigo. But I also love the Tsukishima siblings, and I want them to be happy, so I want Ann and Daigo to end up with Fuji and Shiika instead of with each other.

Labels: , , , , , ,

scribbled mystickeeper at 7:39 PM
0 comments



wJun 15, 2008


xxxHolic, Volumes 5 and 6

Spoilers for these two volumes lie behind the cut, as well as relationship drama in Cardcaptor Sakura.


I take back what I said about thinking it would be hot if Yuuko seduced Watanuki.

Instead, I want Watanuki/Doumeki! Is there good slash fiction about them?! I'm sure there is. Last night, I made the mistake of reading some Subaru/Seishiro, and now I sit and think about how hot various CLAMP pairings would be.

Anyway! Doumeki is totally the night in shining armor. He held Himawari's ribbon for ten hours, so that Watanuki could get back.
They held the lantern thing like a married couple!
Doumeki carried him to the health office when he was sick!
Doumeki shot the ghost woman, even if it might make Watanuki hate him!

Doumeki is totally awesome, and Watanuki should be in love with him! Maybe he's only attracted to Himawari because she has magic, just like Sakura was only attracted to Yukito for the same reason.

It's interesting that Doumeki can't enter Yuuko's store, and Moro/Maru can't leave. But Doumeki must have a soul, unlike them, right?

Labels: , , ,

scribbled mystickeeper at 4:29 PM
0 comments



wJun 14, 2008


xxxHolic, Volume 4

I don't have many notes on this volume - most of the notes I'm making are cross-over ones. I hope to put up a guide of what order to read the volumes in at some point, as I was annoyed that I couldn't find one for myself. Also, look forward to my post on my preferred order for reading CLAMP manga!

Spoilers for this volume lie behind the grey.

Hey, what's up with it being cold outside, and Valentine's Day? Wasn't Yuuko sweltering in the heat just one volume ago? Does time flow backward in the xxxHolic universe?

Hmmm, why is Yuuko sealing the magic power of Watanuki with the black Mokona's ear clip? (It's pretty obvious why she would be amplifying magic power around the Tsubasa kids).

LOL to Yuuko's comment to Watanuki: "Just why are you such a loser with the women?" This series is hilarious.

Overall, xxxHolic is reminding me a lot of Tokyo Babylon. The story-of-the-week is basically Yuuko/Watanuki helping someone who's experiencing some paranormal problems. Of course, because it is CLAMP, there are veiled statements indicating that there is a lot going on beneath the surface of the characters.

This volume also made me feel sad for poor, lonely Watanuki. Himawari-chan isn't good enough for him! Stupid Doumeki! Yuuko should totally seduce Watanuki. He would freak out, but it could be hot.

Labels: , , ,

scribbled mystickeeper at 10:46 AM
0 comments



wJun 12, 2008


xxxHolic, Volumes 1-3 and Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle, Volumes 1-5

To see my past posts on CLAMP manga, I recommend using the tag system to your advantage!

Can I just say how much I love Del Rey's publishing style? I wish that their manga wasn't so expensive ($10.95/volume). Their post-volume character guides, cultural notes, and cross-over notes are absolutely fantastic. Also, their honorifics guide at the beginning of each volume is stellar. Huge props to Del Rey!

Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle

This will mostly be squee. References (but not particularly spoilery things) are made to the series Cardcaptor Sakura, X, Chobits, Legend of Chun Hyang, and xxxHolic.


Hey! Syaoran's dad is Fujitaka, or Sakura's dad from Cardcaptor Sakura! Also, cuteness, Sakura and Syaoran look like they met at about the same age as they did in Cardcaptor Sakura.

Syaoran is once again orphaned, living alone as he did in Cardcaptor Sakura.

I don't like Sakura even in the Kingdom of Clow, whining about missing Syaoran all the time.

I love tha Toya still calls Syaoran a brat. Also, OMF Toya/Yukito!! Their love is so cute. They say that they know Syaoran is destined for Sakura. How do they know this?

Is the "power to pass through space and time" greater than the power of the Clow Cards?

Yuki's fierce "I will never allow him to die!" was so cute, and just made me think of the sacrifice Toya made for Yuki in Cardcaptor Sakura.

Squee for Tomoyo - now she has awesome outfits, too!

Chi. Still an idiot. I'm glad her role seems very minor.

Oh no! Even if Syaoran restores Sakura's memories, their relationship won't be the same! That is so sad, :(

OMF, Arashi and Sorata from X! I love Arashi!

Watching Chu'nyan was pretty depressing. Syaoran tells her it's "because she's suffered too much already," which kind of sucks. Even at the end of her world's arc, she says her opponent "isn't worth the energy it takes to hit him." Where is the Chun Hyang I know?! Sadness!

Volume 3
I love when Sakura gets a memory back, and Syaoran's flashbacks too. I also enjoy how, like in Cardcaptor Sakura, Tsubasa Chronicle makes it very clear when a flashback is taking place.

Sakura has the same birthday as Watanuki! Birthdays can be important in CLAMP (Tokyo Babylon!). What does this mean? I would guess that Watanuki was a version of Sakura in his dimension, but it's been made pretty clear that Watanuki's dimension is the one in which Sakura was Cardcaptor Sakura (I think?! Why else would he recognize her scepter?).

Ooooh, okay so Syaoran's father isn't Fujitaka, and he's missing some memory. AND, Sakura's father is Clow Reed. What does this mean?!

Volume 5
Yay, fairy tale arc!

I loved Sakura breaking out of jail. LOVE the 19th century attire.

So far, the feather has caused badness in society, so it's actually a good thing when Syaoran & Co. take it back for Sakura. I think it would be interesting to watch them make a choice between Sakura's memory and a feather that was causing a society to flourish.

WTF, Syaroan is blind in an eye?! Isn't that the Seishiro blind-side?! I MUST USE CAPS LOCK!

Also, yay, Nekoi and Kusanagi are on the same side, unlike in X! Happiness abounds.



xxxHolic

This will mostly be squee. References (but not particularly spoilery things) are made to the series Cardcaptor Sakura, Chobits, and Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle.


LOL, I liked Yuko calling Clow Reed a creep. She says, "The creep's blood relation, a cute young girl" owns the original staff. Was Sakura related by blood? I just read Cardcaptor Sakura, and I can't remember. I remember Syaoran was a direct descendent, but I can't remember Sakura being related by blood.

Also, Watanuki recognizes the staff. I hope Tomoyo's tapes hit the airwaves, and everyone in Sakura Kinomoto's universe got to see her getting Clow Cards!

OMF, Watanuki in the Legal Drug store! Hey, and what's up with this witchesandmagic.com? I wanted to check that website, but maybe I should wait until I get home. Is it a site for fans??

I squeed at Yuko's reference to Subaru as a kind, hard-working medium.

Volume 2
Interesting that Yuko calls Sakura and Syaoran as the "same, but of different worlds."

I love how dramatic she is with the Tsubasa characters, and then instantly wants a beer as soon as she's done. Yuko is hilarious. And what's she up to, anyway? Grooming Watanuki and Domeki to be master magicians like her and Clow Reed?

I love the funny dialogue, too:
Fortune Teller: "You are also very adept at housework."
Watanuki: "I've got nothing against it."

Watanuki's cooking is really good.....who else cooks well in CLAMP? Hotoko, Sakura's dad. Probably many others.

Bwahaha to Watanuki in Persocom ears!

Labels: , , , , ,

scribbled mystickeeper at 1:52 PM
0 comments



wJun 8, 2008


Chobits, vols 1-8 (All)

Chobits is an 8-volume series that takes place a few years after the 5-volume series, Angelic Layer. The events of Angelic Layer are not necessary to understanding those of Chobits, but if you are going to read both series, I recommend reading them in order.

Hideki Motosuwa is a 19-year-old man desperately trying to get into University (he failed the first round of entrance exams). He lives in a world where people's personal computers can be humanoid. They are called "Persocoms," and they walk and talk just like humans do. Obviously, they are very expensive.

Luckily, our protagonist finds one lying in a pile of trash one night. He takes her home, turns her on, and names her "Chi," the only word she can say after waking up.

While Chi has no memories of life before Hideki, she is capable of learning from him and his friends. As time goes on, she becomes a more or less functioning Persocom, in that she can dress herself, have a coherent conversation, hold a job, and care for others.

What this manga does well (in a very repetitive manner) is explore the difference between humans and humanoid robots. Throughout the series, the main characters encounter people who have fallen in love with Persocoms, and in one way or another, had their lives ruined by it. Can humanoid robots have feelings? Can they fall in love? Is it appropriate for humans to fall in love with robots? These are some of the questions that the series explores.

I think I personally would have liked this a lot more if it ended up being not okay to fall in love with robots. I think I have the same problem with Battlestar Galactica. You can't program a soul, or feelings. You can program responses, and maybe even personalities. But I can't imagine ever falling in love with a machine and having everything work out okay.


This manga also contains a story within a story: a comic book that Chi and Hideki read in bookstores, called "A City With No People." It soon becomes apparent that not only is the series a reflection on Persocoms in society, but it is also about Hideki and Chi, specifically.

I have a profoundly low tolerance for things like panty shots, Hideki's porn-obsession (which is used as a running joke, and not a facet of his lifestyle), and Chi with her clothing hanging off her naked body. I also get pretty uncomfortable with the whole "robotic girlfriend" trope. After being turned on, Chi is essentially an infant in a post-pubescent body, who must be taught the simplest tasks. Gag me.

In addition, there are several highly inappropriate romances, such as sister/brother, or daughter/father-figure. Thus far in my anime career, I've only been able to watch such romances with interest in Revolutionary Girl Utena.

For these reasons, I think that I won't keep the books (which I obtained through BookMooch), because I have no desire to read it again.

The series has been made into a 26-episode anime.

According to Wikipedia, Chi will appear in Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle, as will Hibya-san's apartment complex.

I'm almost ready to read xxxHolic and Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle. My only plans are to finish reading X/1999, and write it up. Here's a list of CLAMP manga I've read. If anyone has last-minute suggestions before I start their two current series, let me know!

Angelic Layer, Cardcaptor Sakura, Legal Drug, RG Veda, CLAMP School Detectives, Man of Many Faces, CLAMP School Defenders Duklyon, Chobits, Legend of Chun Hyang, Tokyo Babylon, X/1999, Magic Knight Rayearth.

Labels: , , ,

scribbled mystickeeper at 9:03 AM
0 comments